DGAP-News: Zorro Bidco holds a total of 97 percent in zooplus after completion of the public delisting tender offer - zooplus shares delisted from Frankfurt Stock Exchange among others

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DGAP-News: Zorro Bidco S.à r.l. / Key word(s): Takeover/Delisting
Zorro Bidco holds a total of 97 percent in zooplus after completion of the public delisting tender offer - zooplus shares delisted from Frankfurt Stock Exchange among others

17.01.2022 / 10:50
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.


Zorro Bidco holds a total of 97 percent in zooplus after completion of the public delisting tender offer - zooplus shares delisted from Frankfurt Stock Exchange among others

17 January 2022 - London & Munich - Hellman & Friedman LLC ("Hellman & Friedman" or "H&F") and the EQT IX fund ("EQT Private Equity") today announced the final results of the public delisting tender offer (the "Delisting Offer") by Zorro Bidco S.à r.l. ("Zorro Bidco"), a holding company controlled by funds advised by H&F, for all outstanding shares (ISIN: DE0005111702) of zooplus AG ("zooplus" or the "Company") that are not already held by Zorro Bidco.

At the expiry of the acceptance period at midnight (CET) on 12 January 2022, 533,875 zooplus shares have been tendered to the Delisting Offer. This corresponds to approximately 7.5 percent of all zooplus shares. Based on the acceptance ratio of the Delisting Offer plus the preceding public tender offer, Zorro Bidco has secured a total of approximately 97 percent of the share capital of zooplus. There will be no additional acceptance period, meaning the Delisting Offer closed on 12 January 2022.

Following the successful closing, the delisting has become effective and zooplus shares are no longer available for trading on the regulated market and in the electronic trading system (XETRA) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Trading of the zooplus shares in the sub-segment Berlin Second Regulated Market of the Berlin Stock Exchange (Wertpapierbörse Berlin) and on the open market in Dusseldorf, Munich, Stuttgart and Hannover, as well as via the Tradegate Exchange, has also ended.

In connection with the settlement, all shareholders that have accepted the Delisting Offer will receive the cash payment within ten banking days after publication of the result of the Delisting Offer pursuant to Section 23 para. 1 sentence 1 no. 2 of the German Securities Acquisition and Takeover Act (Wertpapiererwerbs- und Übernahmegesetz - WpÜG), presumably by 31 January 2022 at the latest.

Zorro Bidco's funding of the Delisting Offer will be provided by funds managed and advised by H&F and EQT Private Equity. EQT Private Equity intends to become a jointly controlling partner with equal governance rights in a parent of Zorro Bidco.

Additional information is available at www.hf-offer.com.

-Ends-

About Hellman & Friedman

Hellman & Friedman is a preeminent global private equity firm with a distinctive investment approach focused on large-scale equity investments in high quality growth businesses. H&F seeks to partner with world-class management teams where its deep sector expertise, long-term orientation and collaborative partnership approach enable companies to flourish. H&F targets outstanding businesses in select sectors including software & technology, financial services, healthcare, consumer & retail, and other business services. The firm is currently investing its tenth fund, with over $24 billion of committed capital, and has over $80 billion in assets under management and committed capital. Learn more about H&F's defining investment philosophy and approach to sustainable outcomes at www.hf.com.

About EQT

EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with more than EUR 70 billion in assets under management across 27 active funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas with total sales of approximately EUR 29 billion and more than 175,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership. Learn more at www.eqtgroup.com.

For further information, please contact:

For H&F
Regina Frauen
Phone: +49 160 8855105
Email: [email protected]

Christian Falkowski
Phone: +49 171 8679950
Email: [email protected]

For EQT
Isabel Henninger
Phone: +49 174 940 9955
Email: [email protected]

Finn McLaughlan
Phone: +44 77 1534 1608
Email: [email protected]

Important notice:

This announcement is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell shares of zooplus AG. The terms of the public delisting tender offer, as well as further provisions concerning the public delisting tender offer, are published in the offer document, the publication of which has been approved by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). Investors and holders of shares in zooplus AG are strongly advised to read the offer document and all other relevant documents regarding the public delisting tender offer, since they will contain important information.

The public delisting tender offer has been issued exclusively under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, in particular according to the German Securities Acquisition and Takeover Act (Wertpapiererwerbs- und Übernahmegesetz), the German Stock Exchange Act (Börsengesetz) and certain applicable provisions of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act. The public takeover offer documentation has additionally been published at www.hf-offer.com. Any contract that is concluded on the basis of the public delisting tender offer will be exclusively governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany and is to be interpreted in accordance with such laws.

To the extent permissible under applicable law or regulation, Zorro Bidco S.à r.l. and its affiliates or brokers (acting as agents for Zorro Bidco S.à r.l. or its affiliates, as applicable) may from time to time during or after the period in which the public delisting tender offer remains open for acceptance, and other than pursuant to the public delisting tender offer, directly or indirectly purchase, or arrange to purchase, shares of zooplus AG, that may be the subject of the public delisting tender offer, or any securities that are convertible into, exchangeable for or exercisable for shares of zooplus AG. Any such purchases, or arrangements to purchase, will comply with all applicable German rules and regulations including the U.S. Securities Exchange Act to the extent applicable. Information about such purchases will be disclosed in Germany to the extent required by applicable law. To the extent information about such purchases or arrangements to purchase is made public in Germany, such information also will be deemed to be publicly disclosed in the United States. In addition, the financial advisors to Zorro Bidco S.à r.l. may also engage in ordinary course trading activities in securities of zooplus AG, which may include purchases or arrangements to purchase such securities.



17.01.2022 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.
Archive at www.dgap.de


1269162  17.01.2022 

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